South Florida Crime

Legislative Session Coverage

FORT LAUDERDALE (CBSMiami) – A Miramar police officer found guilty in December of official misconduct will not have a felony conviction on his record if he stays out of trouble for the next two years.

J.P. Jacobi, 39, asked for mercy Friday for what he called a mistake. Jacobi was convicted of official misconduct and falsifying records after being accused of illegally accessing a marijuana grow house and breaking open a locked briefcase.

In addition, Jacobi’s girlfriend, Detective Jennifer Conger was also suspended from the force when the charges first surfaced.

“He was a soldier in the war on drugs and so often we punish the people in the war,” defense attorney Alberto Milian said in court.

Milian forcefully objected to the prosecutor’s wish for two years in state prison. Jacobi’s brother, who works undercover for Homeland Security, described his brother as a good-hearted former Marine who’s been punished enough.

Conger had also been charged with a crimes in the incident, but the jury deadlocked on a single charge of trespassing during her trial.

The judge in the case, Broward Circuit Judge Raag Singhal, gave Jacobi just two years probation. If Jacobi stays clean, the adjudication will be withheld and he can legally say he’s never been convicted of a felony, according to the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.

Jacobi didn’t say anything on his way out of court.

“I’m happy, he’s happy,” Milian said. “The judge is giving him a chance to make a life for himself.”

The prosecutor in the case, David Schulson, didn’t share the defense team’s enjoyment.

“Six people find you guilty of a felony, there should be a steep price,” Schulson said. “I respectfully disagree with the judge.”